Raine Gladiator and the Lightning Thief
by WizardForever99
Summary: Guess who's walking this really thin line between these two worlds? Me, Lorraine Phoba Dunebietus Gladiator. I know, weird name. But what can I do about it? Nothing. Besides, it's just a name, right? A name that gives a a bad impression, which I learned the hard way. Lorraine- prissy, Phoba- latin for fear, Dunebietus- stupid-sounding. So I just changed it to Raine Gladiator.
1. Intro

A/N- Raine is being portrayed by the girl in the largest picture on the cover. But, instead of hazel eyes, she has blue eyes. Raine will explain soon enough.  
Hi, I'm Lorraine Phoba Dunebieteus Gladiator. But I swear if you ever, EVER, dare to call me by my full name, bad things will happen to you.  
I'm tall and skinny with strawberry-honey blonde hair with blue eyes. Blue eyes that change shades, that is. Anyways, most of the time, my eyes are a deep sapphire-blue speckled with gold. Sometimes, when I'm deeply hurt, my eyes go a pale ice-blue flecked with silver. I know, freak right here. My eyes have two colors and can change to a different shade. Splendid. Note the sarcasm.  
Also, I'm stuck in the popular category because supposedly people like me. Strange. But I'm not mean, like most of the popular kids. Most of the time.  
Anyway, school is beginning. I have to hurry, I AM a straight-A student and a role-model, after all.  
Here are some random facts I threw in. So, bye!

Favorite Colors- Green, Teal, Silver, Gold, and Crimson.  
Family- Mother, unknown , Father, Vodden Gladiator whom is dead, and that's it. So far.  
Home- If you can call an orphanage home, sure.  
Hobbies- Singing, Archery, Painting, and Creating.  
Favorite Songs (Will Change From Time To Time)- Back to Back by the Ready Set, Ain't it Fun by Paramore, Put the Gun Down (The Voice Performance), Weight by Hands Like Houses, and Ghost by Ella Henderson.  
Height- 6 ft. 7.8 cm.  
Favorite Animals- Cats, all types, and owls, wild or not.  
Favorite Food- Chicken noodle soup, and sprinkles.  
My Motto- "Because it's the right thing to do, it's the heroic thing to do."


	2. Some Strange Stuff Happens Here At Yancy

I trudged up the stairs, scanning the bus for an open seat. I'm last.  
Why is that?  
Because I lose my balance easily.  
And, once again, why is that?  
Because I'm taller than average, 6 ft. 7.8 cm.  
Yeah, I know. It sucks being tall.  
Finally! I raced toward the one seat that seems to have only one person in it.  
Whoosh! The bus doors closed.  
I stopped, and said,  
"Youknow,woulditbeokayifisatheresincethere'snootherabailableseats."  
The boy, with raven-black hair and sea-green eyes, the rebel "idiot" troublemaker, I realized, stares at me for a second, and then nods.  
Oh snap! There's no space for me. There was another boy, with a wispy beard and a little acne, crouched down in the seat next to him.  
There's no room for me, even if I'm skinny, there's no way I'm going to fit. Oh well.  
The bus engine revved, about to start.  
Vroooooooooooom!  
The bus shot off.  
Luckily, I sat down quickly.  
"Hey, I'm Lorraine Gladiator." I say.  
"I'm Percy Jackson," he said, giving me a rebel grin.  
"And I'm G-Grover Underwood, n-nice to meet you." Grover said, stuttering.  
"Nice," I say.  
Squelch!  
A peanut butter ketchup sandwich hit Grover's head, sliming its way down his head. I quickly handed him a napkin. Most likely, he needs it more now than I do later.  
"I'm going to kill her," Percy mumbled. Me too! But I can't. I have to calm Percy. Growl.  
"And how are you going to do that, Percy Jackson, when you are on probation?" I asked, cocking my head.  
Percy's answer was a growl.  
"Charming," I said, sarcastic.  
Bobofit threw another chunk of her disgusting sandwich at Grover. It barely missed hitting his head."That's it," Percy said, getting up.  
I pulled him down, and whispered, "You can't kill her. Because as much as I want to kill her, I can't."  
"Why?" Percy asked, confused.  
"Because it's the right thing to do, it's the heroic thing to do," I said happily.  
He snickers and rolls his eyes.  
Percy, Grover, and I bonded during the course of the bus ride.  
We became close friends. I learned a lot about Grover.  
He was crippled. He had a note excusing him from P.E. for the rest of his life because he had some strange muscular disease. And he loooooooooooves enchiladas. Especially cheese enchiladas.  
What did I learn about Percy? Well, let's just say he's known throughout the school. And not in a good way.  
Suddenly, the bus jerks to the right and screeches to a stop.  
Mr. Bruner led the museum tour.  
He rode up front wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of orange-and-black pottery.  
It was mind-blowing that this stuff survived for two thousand or three thousand years.  
I mean, it was almost like a time-travel machine. But cooler.  
He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top and started telling us how it was-  
"A grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age." I blurted out, before clamping my hand over my mouth. I hotly blushed, wishing I could crawl into a hole.  
He smiles, and said said kindly, "Yes, yes it is."  
Some people were blabbing on and on in the background, but, luckily, I was tuning them out. Percy didn't have my luck.  
"Can you shut up?!" Percy yelled.  
I groaned, the whole class was laughing. I exchanged a look with Grover. This wasn't good.  
Mr. Brunner stopped his story.  
"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"  
Percy's face was red. "No, sir," he said.  
Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the the pictures on the stele.  
I glanced at it.  
No way. That's way tooooooooooooooo easy.  
At least for me.  
But then again, I did memorize the textbooks. With my photographic memory.  
"Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"  
Percy looked at the picture, and relief flooded his features. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"  
Wow, I never knew, I thought dryly.  
"Yes," Mr. Bruner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because..."  
I gave Percy a look of encouragement and mouthed the words, 'Do your best.'  
"Well, Kronos was the king god and-" Percy started.  
I groaned, come on Percy! You can do better than that!  
"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.  
"Titan,..." Percy said. "And he didn't trust his kids, which were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brother and sisters-"  
"Eugh!" said some prissy girl behind me. Growl.  
"-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," Percy continued, "and the gods won."  
Some people snickered in the group.  
Waaaaaaay behind me, Bobofit mumbled to a friend of hers, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"  
"And why, Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner said, to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"  
"Busted," Grover muttered. We high-fived.  
"Shut up," Bobofit hissed, her face looking like a tomato.  
"NANCY JUST GOT PONNED! IN YO FACE, BOBOFIT!" I yelled.  
Nobody even glanced at me.  
Probably because I yelled in my head.  
Heh.  
Percy seemed to be thinking, but who knows? He shrugged and said, "I don't know, sir."  
"Miss Gladiator?" Mr. Brunner asked me, looking hopeful. Well, I WAS the only person who got an A+ in this class.  
"Well, I can only give you a glorified anwser." I said, sighing.  
He nodded, telling me to continue.  
"To anwser your second question, I don't think I have enough information to anwser with a yes or no. To anwser your first question, Zeus fed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him regurgitate, or disgorge, his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld." I said.  
"Thank you, Miss Gladiator," Mr. Brunner said, looking grateful."On that happy note, it"s time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"  
The class drifted off, filing out of the museum, the girls clutching their stomach and the guys acting as stupid as usual.  
"Miss Gladiator, Mr. Jackson," said Mr. Brunner.  
Percy looked like he had expected that. He told Grover to go ahead.  
Me? No. This was my first time.  
I gulped, anxiety taking over my actions.  
I was stiff. Like a board of wood.  
I forced my body to loosen up.  
"You alright?" a slightly concerned Percy asked.  
"Yeah," I said, forcing a smile on my face.  
He didn't buy it.  
I turned to Mr. Brunner.  
"You know, you remind me of Chiron," I said, before feeling very stupid.  
Mr. Brunner looked surprised. "Really?"  
"Its just that your personality," I said, my cheeks burning. "It reminds me of Chiron, since he's such a fatherly figure in Greek Mythology."  
"Anyways, you two must learn the anwser to my question," Mr. Burner told us.  
"About the Titans?" Percy asked.  
"About real life."  
"Ooooooooookay." I said, stretching the o.  
"Oh," Percy said.  
"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you two, Miss Gladiator, Mr. Jackson."  
Percy mumbled something about trying harder, and I think I did too.  
Maybe.  
Mr. Brunner took a long sad look at the stele, like he had been at the girl's funeral.  
Impossible. I quickly shook the thought out of my head.  
But I could picture it.  
'Rain was pouring down, giving a depressing mood to the atmosphere.  
Mr. Brunner was standing there, his face shadowed by the umbrella. His eyes were haunted, as if he was considering the things he could've done to save the girl.'  
"Are you alright?" a worried Percy asked.  
"Huh?"  
"Well, when we went outside, your eyes kind of glazed over and you were just standing there, looking at the sky," Percy said.  
"Oh," I said.  
Grover's head popped out of nowhere. It looked soooooo comical that I wanted to laugh. But I couldn't, it'd be mean. I have to do the right thing, the heroic thing.  
"Detention?" Grover asked.  
"Nah," Percy said. I shook my head."Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean- I'm not a genius. Well, I suppose Lorraine is,"he continued.  
"Yeah right," I said, scoffing.  
Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give Percy some life-changing advice, guess what he said. I was wrong, oops.  
"Can I have your apple?" Grover asked, eyeing the apple. Yeah, major oops.  
Percy didn't seem to have much of an appetite, and he let Grover take it.  
I glanced at the sky, and was taken back.  
"What the heck?" I asked, voicing my thoughts.  
"What?" Percy asked. Then he saw what I was looking at. "Oh."  
"I swear I can make out a face," I said, squinting.  
"Really?" asked Grover, seeming nervous.  
"Yeah, it looks like a man, with a well-trimmed beard. "  
The thunder boomed, almost as if-  
"The man approves?" I said, once again saying my thoughts out loud. Grover seemed to become a little pale.  
Thurber boomed again.  
"You know what this reminds me of? The Greek god, Zeus. Well, he does control lightning and thunder. And rain. And weather. And technically the sky," I said, blurting out some facts about Zeus.  
Once again, thunder boomed and lightning clapped.  
Huh?  
Clapped?  
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhkay.  
Grover was really pale now, clammy with sweat.  
"And, Percy, Grover, wouldn't it be soooooooooooooooo cooooooooool if the Greek gods existed! I mean, maybe we could be demigods or half-bloods, and, um, Percy, demigods are half-god and half-mortal." I said, smiling.  
Percy was grinning.  
The thunder and lightning was roaring, like it was impressed, or something like that.  
But Grover looked like he was having trouble breathing.  
"You okay, dude? I mean, are you having a panic attack, or a heart attack, or something like that." I said.  
"Grover, breathe in, breathe out. Now repeat." Grover followed my instructions. I exchanged a look with Percy, and I knew we were thinking the same thing.  
Why is Grover acting so strange?  
Percy was about to unwrap his sandwich when Bobofit and her cronies appeared. She must have gotten tired of just stealing from the tourists.  
Anddddddddddddddddd she dumped her lunch on Grover.  
"Oops," she said, grinning at Percy and I.  
"You have really crooked teeth, and freckles like cheese-spray." I said, blurting out my thoughts. "Blame it on the ADHD," I muttered.  
I tried to not snap her neck. Unfortunately, I suceeded.  
But, my mind went blank, and I counted to 1,000,000.  
Nancy was now on her butt in the fountain, screaming,"Percy and Lorraine pushed me!"  
"Oops, I must have counted too long." I said, rolling my eyes.  
Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us. Percy jumped, startled.  
"Good day, ma'm" I said. I swear I saw a flicker of a smile on her face.  
Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see-"  
"-there was no wind but-"  
"-it swooped out of nowhere-"  
"-and the water-"  
"-reached out to-"  
"-grab her-"  
I had ditto clue what they were talking about. Buuuuuuuuuuut I did know Percy and I were in trouble.  
I gulped.  
As soon as Mrs. Dodds made "poor little" Nancy was alright she turned to Percy and I. She had a triumphant look in her eyes, like she had just gotten the perfect chance. "Now, honeys-"  
"I know," Percy grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."  
I groaned, that was the worst thing to say in this scenario.  
"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.  
"Wait!" Grover (!?) yelped. "It was me, I pushed her!"  
I glanced at him, stunned, before saying, "It's alright, Grover."  
I still couldn't believe my best friend was trying to cover for us.  
I knew Mrs. Dodds scared him to death.  
"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood."  
"But-"  
"You-WILL-stay-here."  
Grover looked at us desperately.  
Percy finally got over the shock, and said, "It's alright, man."  
"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked. "NOW."  
Bobofir smirked.  
I gave her a death glare. She immediately cowered.  
I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing at Percy and I to hurry up.  
How in the name of bubble snap did she get there?  
I have many moments like that, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank space behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.  
I wasn't so sure.  
I went after Mrs. Dodds.  
I glanced at Percy, he seemed distracted.  
Why?  
I quickly looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.  
We went deeper and deeper into the museum.  
Mrs. Dodds stood there, arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird sound in her throat, almost like growling.  
Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. And the way she looked at the frieze, she looked like she wanted to pulverize it...  
"Hello, Alecto." I said calmly. Percy didn't hear me.  
Alecto gives me a wicked grin, and says, "You passed the first two tests. Power, check. Intelligence, check. Now, I need fighting skills."  
Percy looked at me like I was crazy.  
"Then," I said slowly. "The Greek gods are real if you're real."  
Percy didn't seem to hear me.  
Alecto chuckled, and said, "You are one interesting demigod."  
"You've been giving us problems, honey." Alecto said, focusing her attention on Percy.  
"Yes, ma'm," Percy said.  
"Did you really think you would get away with it?"  
"I'll- I'll try harder, ma'm."  
"We are not fools, Percy Jackson. It was only a matter of time before we found you put. Confess, and you will suffer less pain." Alecto said.  
"Well?!" Alecto demanded.  
"Ma'm, I don't..."  
"Time's up," she hissed.  
Then Alecto showed her true form.  
Her eyes began to glow like fire pit coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into claw-talon things. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. This was Alecto's true form, I guess.  
Then Mr. Brunner showed up.  
"Yo, Mr. Brunner, I bet you're Chiron!" I yelled at Mr. Brunner. Percy didn't hear me for the THIRD TIME!  
He sighed, and said, "We shouldn't discuss things like this in front of the enemy."  
"Enemy?" I said, scanning the area. I spotted someone. "Oh, Alecto."  
"What ho, Lorraine!" Mr. Brunner yelled, throwing me a necklace. "Break it!"  
"I thought I told you to call me Raine!" I yelled.  
"Raine." Chiron said. "What ho, Percy!"  
"So," I said, I felt bad for smashing it, I did it anyways, and it shattered, which turned into a long rapier. (A/N It's just a name of a sword.) "My fight test thing?" I asked Alecto.  
"Fine," she said. "I'm not going easy on _you,_ if there's the chance," she hissed at Percy.  
"En Guarde!" I yelled.  
Dodge, attack, dodge, attack.  
A claw nearly pierced my heart.  
Dodge.  
"Don't hold this against me, alright?" I said.  
Slash.  
"You passed," she said before beginning to dissolve into gold dust.  
"I'm sorry," I whispered.  
Alecto smiled.  
Suddenly, she was gone.  
I was alone, with only Percy by my side.  
There was the necklace around my neck-unbroken, and Percy was holding a ballpoint pen.  
Percy and I exchanged looks.  
We definitely hadn't imagined that.  
We both went outside.  
It was drizzling.  
I deeply breathed in, enjoying the rain.  
Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map covering his head from getting wet. Bobofit was grumbling to her ugly friends, soaked from her swim. When she saw us, she said, "I hope Ms. Kerr whipped your butt."  
"Who?" Percy asked.  
"Our teacher, DUH."  
I blinked. We had no teacher named Ms. Kerr.  
THE MIST! It altered memories annnnnnnd other stuff like that.  
"Yeah, right. Ms. Kerr would NEVER do that." I said. Percy looked confused. I felt bad. I couldn't explain.  
Percy asked Grover who Mrs. Dodds was.  
He paused, then said, "Who?"  
"Not funny, man," Percy said, beginning to go to Mr. Brunner.  
"I know," I whispered to Grover.  
His eyes were wide.  
I quickly catched up to Percy, leaving a startled Grover behind.  
Percy handed Mr. Brunner his pen.  
"Sir, where's Mrs. Dodds?" Percy asked.  
He stared at us blankly. "Who?"  
"The other chaperone, Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."  
He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"


	3. Were Those The Fates?

I guess Percy was used to some occasional weird experiences.  
I was too.  
Percy didn't know about the Mist though, like I did.  
So I'm guessing that he didn't know why everyone thought Ms. Kerr was our other chaperone.  
I watched as Percy spring up a Mrs. Dodds reference on some people every so often.  
They just stared at him like he was a psycho.  
I almost felt bad.  
Should I tell him about the Mist?  
Nah.  
Maybe some other time. Plus, if I told him the truth, he'd never believe me.  
Percy seemed to be believing that there never was a Mrs. Dodds.  
But Grover definitely couldn't fool him.  
Argh, Grover really needs to learn how to lie better.  
But I can't blame him.  
Grover's known Percy way longer than me, and it must be hard to lie to your closest friend.  
I constantly thought about what happened in the museum.  
I have to admit, it's pretty cool that gods do exist.  
After fighting Mrs. Dodds though, I'm starting to think a bit differently. I was more alert now. I always looked over my shoulder.  
Maybe demigods have to fight every moment of their lives. Or not.  
I'll never know unless I ask Mr. Brunner.  
Wait a moment!  
Is he Chiron? It's possible.  
I noticed Percy getting more cranky and irritable.  
He fought more with Bobofit and her friends.  
It was in English when he finally snapped.  
"Jackson, tell me why you won't study!"  
"I have dyslexia," Percy said, obviously close to snapping.  
"Well then," Mr. Nicolle said, slamming his hands on Percy's desk. "Explain to me how Miss Gladiator gets the highest grade in the class, a total of 115%, when she has dyslexia."  
I really didn't know how I got those grades.  
Percy glared at him, and screeched crossly, "You old sot!"  
I almost burst out laughing. Almost. But this situation wasn't funny.  
But seriously, did Percy just call Mr. Nicoll a drunk alcoholic?  
When Percy told me that he wouldn't be invited back next year to Yancy Academy, I sighed.  
I'd miss him. He was an actual friend to me.  
The next afternoon as Percy and I left our three-hour Latin exam, which I somehow knew I'd aced, Mr. Brunner called me and Percy back in.  
Why? Well, I found out soon.  
Mr. Brunner *cough* Chiron *cough* talked to Percy.  
I'm afraid that Percy took it the wrong way.  
Sigh.  
He soon left the room, leaving me alone with Chiron.  
"Lorraine-" Chiron started.  
"Raine, just call me Raine!" I said, close to yelling  
Can he stop calling me Lorraine?! I mean, come on!  
"Er, Raine. Grover has told me that you know. How did you find out?"  
I smiled a bit.  
"Well, there have been hints everywhere. The major one is that, Alecto, seemed to be upset when she saw the frieze, and Hades wasn't in that sculpture thing. So she must've had something to do with Hades. She wasn't Hades because Alecto isn't a man and she was Alecto because Alecto is the most loyal follower of Hades. So, it was all there."  
Chiron nodded, smiling.  
"You're right, Lor- Raine. But did you happen to realize that I am Chiron? The very same one from the stories?"  
I immediately nodded, and attempted to hide my snickers, as he had said my full first name by coincidence.  
"Earlier, you stared at girl's stele sadly, like you've been to her funeral. You act a lot like Chiron too, as I said earlier."  
I glanced at his wheelchair, and flushed because of what I was about to say next.  
"And your wheelchair could be just to hide your centaur legs."  
Chiron looked a bit surprised at first, then smiled.  
"That's right."  
Wait, I was right?  
"Raine, I have something important to tell you."  
"Yes?"  
"There's a camp for demigods like you, called Camp Half-Blood. I would like to adopt you, and bring you there. You would have a permanent home."  
I gaped at him. A chance to get away from that horrible orphanage? Not to mention the smells. P.U.  
I nodded happily.  
"I've already filled out the forms. I'll send Grover to pick you up, along with maybe Percy."  
With Percy? I mean, I don't hate him, he's actually a friend to me.  
But...Oh, right. He's a son of Poseidon considering how he controlled that water in the fountain.  
He's probably super powerful and needs to be in a more secure place.  
Chiron let me go, and I happily skipped out of my room and into my dorm.  
I packed up all my stuff.  
"Where are you going for a summer, Raine?" A girl asked me.  
I fake-smiled at her.  
I can tell when someone only asks for popularity or to seem nice. I have practice.  
"I'm being adopted!"  
She faked gasped.  
"You were an orphan? I'm so glad you're getting adopted!"  
That last sentence from her sounded quite rude. Oh well.  
Percy, Grover, and I had all booked tickets to Manhattan on the same Greyhound, so there we all were, together again.  
My orphanage is actually pretty near Percy's apartment.  
Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle.  
I face palmed.  
Grover, the Kindly Ones don't just appear out of nowhere, especially when they've been killed.  
Well, they probably regenerate.  
"Looking for Kindly Ones?" Percy asked Grover.  
Now bad things are going to happen, I just know it.  
"Wha-what do you mean?" Grover practically jumped out of his seat.  
"Uhm, G-man, I think Perce means that he knows, as well. Took him long enough."  
Percy nodded, but then glanced at me befuzzled, "Wait- as well?"  
"Duh. I knew."  
"And you didn't tell me?" Percy's voice was tinged with betrayal.  
"Perce, it was for your own good."  
"Ugh, fine, whatever." Percy proceeded and confessed about eavesdropping on Grover and Brunner chatting about Percy and I.  
"Ohkay?" I asked, rolling my eyes, "Very mature of you~. Eavesdropping, eh? What'll it be next~?"  
"LOL, sorry, ohkay?"  
"Yeah. Okay."  
From his pocket, Grover fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me  
this summer.  
The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something  
like:  
Grover Underwood  
Keeper  
Half-Blood Hill  
Long Island, New York  
(800) 009-0009  
"What's Half-"  
"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped.  
My eyes widened. "Um, okay?"  
"That's my, um ... sum-mer address."  
I could see Percy's crestfallen expression but something seemed fishy. "Didn't know you were so rich that you owned a hill," I casually stated.  
"Y-Yeah," Grover replied, stuttering again.  
I zoned out, putting my earbuds on, listening to 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift- because well, it's a great song.  
Then the bus went all, 'SHIZ SIZ!' I am not kidding. That is the actual sound it made. LOL. I yanked out my earbuds out. Anyway, when I glanced out the window, I gaped, "Holy cow of Apollo. Those are some big socks. I'm gonna explore. You guys can tag along, I guess."  
Grover nervously bleated, and Percy and Grover followed me out. Grover tugged on my sleeve, "C'mon! L-Let's go!"  
Even as he ushered Percy and I into the bus, I kept staring at the ladies. "LOL, they remind me of the Fates. As if on cue, the Fates all simultaneously looked at me. I awkwardly waved and smiled. They just turned away.  
Percy gaped, "Wow."  
"I know, right? They should be called Awkward Peeps cause they are."  
Grover anxiously looked away, and covered his eyes. Percy and I shared a look with a snicker, and we continued staring as the Fates snipped a piece of electric-blue yarn with ginormous golden scissors. Even as the bus pulled away, I could still feel the lingering memory of the Fates' stare.  
Percy told Grover what we saw, and Grover became rather terrified. "Always sixth grade, always," he said, as he continued to freak us out.  
"What do you mean, sixth grade?" I inquired.  
"They always get them," he said, now seeming to be muttering to himself.  
I shuddered at the ominous tone in Grover's voice.  
Percy and I shared a look. A look that managed to say- Oh no, something's wrong, AND GROVER IS NOT HELPING BECAUSE-, but at least you're here.  
"Grover?"  
"Yeah?"  
"What are you not telling me?"  
He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"  
"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"  
His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much,  
much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw."  
"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."  
He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't.  
Weird.  
He said, "You saw her snip the cord."  
"Yeah. So?" But it didn't sound like a so. More like a big deal.  
"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like  
the last time."  
"What last time?" I asked suspiciously, joining  
"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."  
"Grover," Percy said, an edge on his voice. "What are you talking about?"  
"Let me walk you guys home from the bus station. Promise me."  
"Suuuure," Percy said.  
NO! I thought hysterically. NONONO. IF THEY REALIZE I WAS AN ORPHAN- NONONONOONONONONONONO! I didn't realize I was on the verge of crying until my vision clouded, and I couldn't see anything.


	4. The Best Kind of Alecto

"So," Grover meekly said. "That's a yes?"  
I nodded slowly, we weren't walking to my former residence- just Percy's house. I blinked. Well, that was weird. I normally don't lose my head over such trivial matters.  
"I gotta go to the bathroom," Grover said, before scurrying away.  
Once he was out of hearing range, Percy told me, "Time to ditch."  
"Because Grover is looking at us like we're you know..." He shifted on his feet, looking at me hopefully.  
"Dead men? Well, dead men and dead women, but yeah. I get your point."  
"Let's go," he grinned at me, grabbed my hand, and we caught the first taxi we saw.  
"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," Percy hummed.  
We walked into Percy's apartment. A dude- smelled like beer and cigarettes, overweight, bald (except for like, three hairs combed over his scalp, like he was a Homer Simpson impressionist or something)- was in the living room, playing poker with some other people, though he looked like the ringleader out of all them. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.  
Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home." He glanced at me for (not even) a millisecond. "Who's the girl?"  
"Where's my mom?"  
"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"  
"Don't have any," Percy said, not even a trace of a lie in his voice.  
"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. "Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in  
change." My jaw dropped- how? How would he know all that? "Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"  
Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at us with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe,"  
he said. "The kid just got here."  
"Am I right?" Gabe repeated.  
Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.  
"Fine," Percy said. He dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you  
lose."  
"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after him. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"  
Percy slammed the door.  
"Well, isn't he a charmer," I sarcastically remarked, rolling my eyes. Percy gave a smile at my antics to cheer him up.  
"My bedroom." He gestured at it.  
I opened my voice to reply but was interrupted by-"Percy?" a female, mommish voice called out. The woman opened the bedroom door- although, it's not really a bedroom, because well, Gabe dumped all his crap in here (I can tell because 1:It smells just like him and 2:Why would Percy put crap in here?). The lady smelled like candy- as her uniform was wearing some red-white-and-blue uniform, her eyes always sparkling. She has long brown hair with a few gray streaks, though she doesn't look old. She has that prescence- Like your grandmother! But not so old.  
"Hey there," I smiled nervously. "I'm Lorraine-"  
"Call her Raine, though," Percy chipped in, as he's heard this spiel billions of times. *Cough*Chiron*Cough*.  
"-Gladiator."  
"I'm Sally, Percy's mother. Nice to meet you." She smiled sincerely.  
"Oh, Percy." She hugged Percy tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"  
Percy flushed, "Mom, you're embarrassing me!"  
I grinned wolfishly- LOL.  
We all sat on the bed, and shared blueberry sour strings.  
"I'm gonna go on the patio, so have some quality time," I said, getting up, feeling like an intruder on a private scene. I headed out, and as soon as they weren't watching me, I sneaked off, using the emergency fire escape stairs. I felt like I hadn't even walked a couple blocks when a Fury popped up, landing right in front of me.  
I fell back, surprised. Luckily, it didn't last long and I unsheathed my sword.  
"Alecto?" I asked when I recognized her.  
"Same old, same old."  
"What'cha doin' here?"  
"I'm here to take you to Olympus." Alecto paused, giving me a crooked smile. "Well, technically, only to the Empire State Building."  
"Okay. Anything else?"  
"You'll be staying there for three nights- doesn't that sound great?" A hint of wistfulness creeped into her voice.  
"Yeah," I replied absentmindedly.

Hello there," I adressed the dude sitting in the middle, who had a weird lightning bolt crown thing on his head. And was in the center, *cough*leader*cough*. He had stormy, electric blue eyes. "Zeus." His eyes lightened, and a smile came upon his face.  
I shifted slightly, and glanced at another guy- one who had shades on, but I could still see red pupils or something. Like a fire burning. Scars stretched across his face, he had that whole bad boy macho dude attitude. "Ares."  
A woman sat, grey eyes calculating. She had honey-blonde hair. Probably the smart type. And there's a godess for intelligence- or more specifically, wisdom. "Athena."  
A muscly man was sitting, eyes focused on something in his hands. It looked like a metal hunk of junk. He seemed to be tinkering with it. His hands were greasy, oily. I looked away for a millisecond but that glob of metal was nowhere to be seen- just an elaborate, metallic spider. Hephaestus."  
A fishy guy sat, literally fishy. He looked like he was a seaman or something. He had green eyes that looked a lot like someone I knew. He felt so familiar yet... He had raven-black hair, with a mischievous, troublemaker-like smile on his face. A trident stood next to his throne. "Poseidon."  
A woman sniffled, pointing her head up in a prissy sort of way. She was sitting right next to Zeus, and their thrones were like matching outfits at Prom or something. Different but similar. Married- "Hera." Marriage.  
One lady was so well, hot, that I couldn't not look. I am _not_ exaggerating. She could make straight girls turn gay*. Luckily, I am so straight my back would be too except for the fact that's impossible. Her features were always changing but they were as gorgeous as the one before. "Aphrodite."

A man twiddled his thumbs for a moment before drawing out a phone. His style-pen-thing was a caduceus. "Hermes."  
A woman glanced at me, and smiled- her smile was warm and bright, like a fireplace. "Hestia."  
Woah, these are coming quickly.  
Another man looked so bright that when he smiled (showing his teeth), you were blinded. "Apollo."  
The lady sitting next to him rolled her eyes. No one else in the room did this- maybe they didn't dare to. But why would this woman- "Artemis." Brother and sister.  
Zeus glanced at me, and beamed, "37 seconds. That's my girl."  
"Well, I am utterly confused."  
He pointed above my head. I glanced up, an saw a shining hologram, a lightning bolt, but with several other, not-as-big symbols surrounding it. Practically all of the main twelve's. And some others thrown in there.  
"Woah."  
"I'm your father. The lightning bolt is mine, but the others are just blessings."  
"How so many?"  
He chuckled heartily, but didn't answer.  
"And wait- you're my dad?"  
"Yep."  
"Oh," your mouth opened and closed and opened and closed. "Oh."  
The gods burst out laughing.  
"Too hard after hardly smiling since forever?" I teased, laughing amongst side them.  
I could even believe the weren't gods, as they had jumped off their thrones, and made themselves the size of average humans.  
But they weren't.  
They were gods.

A/N- *fangirl reference *hetalia* amelia, making straight girls turn gay*


End file.
